The movie ‘Kyla & Lu,’ also known as ‘Wildfire,’ starring Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, is set to start filming in Hawaii on October 30, 2023. The film is set primarily on the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Oahu and centres on seven-year-old Lu, who unintentionally ignites a wildfire. The logline describes how Lu, who is deaf and comes from a violent household, “slyly tricks Merribelle, a hard-working trans woman, into kidnapping her, sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date.”
SAG-AFTRA granted the filmmakers permission to proceed with the movie’s casting. However, the anticipated filming in Hawaii may be impacted by the lack of a dispensation from the union to move through with the production. Additionally, the production may be delayed by the wildfires that the state experienced, particularly in Maui. A few of the projects shot in Maui are “The White Lotus,” “Oblivion,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” Ang Lee’s “Hulk,” etc. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,’ ‘Murder Mystery 2,’ ‘NCIS: Hawai’i,’ ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer,’ and other films have all been filmed on Oahu in the past.
The film is directed by Shiri Appleby, best known for her role as Liz Parker in the science fiction series “Roswell.” The actress-director is renowned for directing numerous episodes of ‘Grown-ish,’ ‘Young Sheldon,’ ‘Unprisoned,’ ‘New Amsterdam,’ ‘The Wonder Years,’ ‘UnREAL,’ etc. in addition to a number of playing roles. She has also directed episodes of “Minx,” “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists,” “Black-ish,” and “Queens.”
The screenplay was written by Chaya Doswell and was selected for the Black List, a collection of Hollywood’s top unproduced scripts each year. In addition, Doswell and “Braid” director Mitzi Peirone co-wrote the script for the upcoming movie “The Uncanny.”
The cast of the movie is led by Rodriguez, a primetime Emmy nominee best known for her portrayal of Blanca Rodriguez in the drama series “Pose” on FX. Also appearing as Carolyn in “tick, tick… BOOM!” is the actress. She also provided the voices of Nightbird in “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” Zagan in “Dead End: Paranormal Park,” and Talia in “American Horror Story: Delicate.” In the history of the awards, Rodriguez is the first transgender artist to take home a Golden Globe.
After Doswell’s screenplay was purchased by David Permut and Dawn Krantz (Hacksaw Ridge, “Man Down”), the project came to fruition. According to Permut, “The emotionally charged and gripping plot is reminiscent of two of my favourite films: Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” and Sean Baker’s “Tangerine.” “Chaya’s screenplay is current, cutting-edge, and full of heart and humour. In the same interview, Krantz remarked, “I felt right away that this movie had to be created, and I’m happy to be a part of this fantastic team and share this narrative with the world.
Fame from “American Idol” Additionally, Randy Jackson works as a producer. I’m incredibly thrilled to be collaborating with Michaela on this fantastic project. One of the stars of the present and the future is Michaela. Jackson told Deadline that she had “immense talent.”
